Health Minister Chris Fearne has refused to give specific details on Melvin Theuma’s current condition, arguing that the state witness has a right to medical privacy.

“His health interests me, both as a Health Minister and as a Maltese citizen, but every person in this country, no matter their situation, has a right for their medical details to be safeguarded,” Fearne said in Parliament last night, after PN MP Beppe Fenech Adami requested an update on his condition.

“Even in this case, we will not recount his medical details at this stage.”

“What I can say is that our health professionals did their job well, and my most recent information is that he is in a critical but stable condition at ITU. I hope he recovers from this tragic situation, not only so that he can enjoy his health but also so that he can keep fulfilling his role in the ongoing inquires and judicial process.”

Police commissioner Angelo Gafa told a press conference yesterday that Theuma was found at his Swieqi home on Tuesday night with a knife in his right hand and injuries to his neck, abdomen and wrist.

Times of Malta reported that he has suffered damage to his vocal cords, leaving him unable to speak, while The Shift News quoted medical practitioners as saying his thyroid was hanging loose, his jugular vein was severed and his airway was punctured.

Police suspect that this was an attempted suicide, although several people, as well as the Nationalist Party, have suggested that this was actually an assassination attempt.